Convertible automobile top



Jan. 1, 1935. B. B. ELLERBECK CONVERTIBLE AUTOMOBILE TOP Filed Jan. 26, 1931 Patented Jan.i,1935 v I Q UNITED isms .PATENTA OFFICE I Q CONVERTIBLE AUTOMOBILE 'roP. Ben attenti al, salt Lakefoity,;utah Atpinnion'nnt'atyte, 1931, Serial nofsutss s v s*olaiii s. (01.296519?) My present invention relates to automobile invention isfillustrated in 'the "accompanying tops, especiallyof the rigid or fixed-shape type drawing, in which! V I I, 1 as distinguished'from flexible 'foldable tops, and v Figure 1 is aside view of an automobile of has for an object the provision of an arrangethe roadster typeequipped vwith myg ttype of and secondarily for the' c1ose-coupled phaeton mal raised position by full lines, in interme body, whereby the rigid topmay bev easily moved diate position by light dotted lines, and in a from the position where itse'rves as-a cover final lowered positicnjby heavy dotted'linesi for the seating compartment to a position di- .F gure Z shows my typeof top'in the raised 10 rectly in rear of this compartment, so that the and lowered positions on a fphaeton .typej of, 10

roof portion of the top is disp'osedinfthe body automobile body. v I H it and the rear quarter of the .top extends: across Referringto Fig. 1, .the' top 4Qis shown in the deck surface in the same position and profull lines'in place above the driving compartviding" approximately the same generalappearment of a roadster t pe aut'omobilathe, door ment, primarily forthe roadster type of body rigid top, the latter being illustrated in the nor- 5 is ance as ai f olded roadster or phaeton top. A windowsfi being racked" up, and 'th ;1 ,hu

second object is toprovide a f ixed-shape lower- Serving aS-a closed coupe Reeliwerdlbf the top able top which takes up very littlespaee for a eftwo paralle tracks 1:tlififasi ;ein i ecd ttiltheldeck housingin the body and hence may beused 'on sur 'ace and 6X en i g I a he ower? rear short wheel-base carsi. Another'ob'ject is to proedge of v the p, and eehtaetihg wit the l w r vide alowerable top the rear quarter or which 2 1 Q' i a. t arglslvertse shelg'ffihattached tie. 3116, 20 is wider at its. base. than the body opening so 1 ,1 V! e ODW .1 O Vel. e that when the ten is'in' normal raised position co 'i u 'd or op ads e i is its base will rest on the body surface and allow Pushed leelrweldly 0h theitlaeks unt l the rear adequate means for a water tight junction be- Wall Of the l is beyond their ds d'e y tween the top and body. A further object is the Shelf beers on e it then, being free 25 to provide means whereby the rear window of to be tilted dewhihto'lthe Y- he forward the tap may be made to serve as a, rear wind edge Of the shelf Will contact with slight notches shield when the top is in lowered position. f e i s as i ii i o tige p t This convertible top is distinguished from a (were 1 6 See u e mOVe other fixed-shape lowerable tops by being disi g e g y to allow q a for the 30 osed, when down, with the front end downmost P ul'lhg e OWeTlhg movemen C y means i n the body. Since an automobile body is narfor tilting n the seetebaekjahd Sliding e rowest at the bottom, and since automobile tops Seat forwardly may be p y A practical are narrowest at the point of fastening to the method of lowering the seat-back S that the 3.3 windshield and widest at the base of the rear w e efi i d f t l l dlt q t ensrtleering whee; uarter, it is most practical to dispose a rigid 15-111 03 e m e means 0 l owerable top by putting the narrowest pore t h t out of the would h to tion down into the narrowest part of the body Vlde the t mtoitwolseatsi these bemg 511(1- and permit the widest portion of the top to re- 32: gfi g gg ii i gg gg p g fg d 3 40 to theb .Breasonofthis,ato

fi i l ee p i ng with cofi entiohal shape may be thu 9 t t posltlon. 1t octtuples the p051" lowered This top construction and its disposimdlcated m hga'vy t hnes the leading tion is extremely simple since it is free from edge of the top bemg adlacent to the floor of the car,,and the rear quarter of the top procomp heat-10.11 as P pwotal or jecting'out of the body where itlies closely to 45 ing-arm connections with the body. hastly,th1s the deck surface and overhangs the edges by top serves to retain the characteristic appearreason of being wider than the deck at this coupe p W f 1t 15 m Formal ralsed point. When the seat is returned to position, position, and when itis lowered it very closely theicafr embodies rakish appearance of a approxlmates the hep e of a folded conventional open roadster. Since it is cus- 50' 010t roadster P- T1118 18 also h ease when tomary to equip roadster bodieswith deck seats, this top is in the lowered position on a 'phaeton it is desirable to provide .a windshield for deck body. I'hese are important considerations in passengers; This convertible top gives a ready convertible top construction. I means'forgsupplying'isuoh a windshield for the The preferred manner of carrying outthis open ear. By hinging the rear window of the 55 rear section. This latter method is indicated in the drawing by the hinged connections 10. In order to allow proper anchorage for the tracks on which the top is displaced rearwardly,

these tracks 6 are shown as restingon atru'n'kn 11 set into the rear of the phaeton body. This allows the tracks to be approximatelyhorizon tal without being bracketed up from -the rear".

body surface. The top is shown in full lines as a cover for the seating compartment and in heavy dotted lines irrthe lowered position,v the front section swung under the rear section and indicated in light dotted lines at' 12.

The, rear displacement of this top before it is lowered into the body makes it practical for both the roadster and the phaeton types of body. The side-walls of the rear quarter of the top convergeslightly toward the top or roof surface. This convergence together with the narrowing in of the sides toward the front al-- lows the necessary clearance to house a top of this nature in the manner explained. Slight changes may 'be' made in. contour of' the top, and various methods used to give it the primary. rearidisplacement without departing from the spirit of thisinvention.

I claim:

' 1. In combination with an automobile body having a driving'compartment; a non-deformable top having a roof portion and a rear wall,

portion incorporating a transverse hingedwindow, said top being detachable fromits normal position as a cover for the driving compartment and disposable in the body so that the roof portion is concealed within the body While the rear wall portion projects out of the body and serves to approximate in general appearance and position the folded cloth tops of roadster or phaeton type, and provides a ready means for a rear windshield by opening the said transverse window to a suitable angle.

2.- In combination withan' automobile body of the general roadster type having a deck surface rearward of a driving compartment provided with a forwardly movable seat, a rigid top consisting of a roof portion immovably fastened to a rear wall portion which incorporates a transverse shelf near its base, and parallel tracks on thede'ck surfaceextending rearwardly from thebottom of; this base shelf, upon which tracks the top is slidable rearwardly along the said deck surface and forwardly tiltable on the front edge of the transverse shelf to a position between the movable seatand the deck compartment, in-which-position the roof portion of the top is within the. body and; the rear wall portion of the top lies horizontally adjacent to the outer surface of the deck, thus converting the body toan. uncovered structure.

3. In combination with an automobile body of the general roadster type having a deck compartment rearward of a driving compartment provided with aforwardly movable seat, a rigid top consisting of a roof portion immovably fastened to a rear wall portion, said top being'lowerable into the body between'the deck compartment and the seat by bodily displacing the topbackwardly on supports between it and-the body, and then tilting the topforwardly until the roof portion is in the body in front of the said deck compartinent, and the rear wall portion lies in a substantially horizontal positionadjacent to the upper surface of l the said deck compartment.

' BEN B. ELLERBECK. 

